Alcohol

This easy-to-make cocktail was one of the earlier drinks I created for the bar menu at our Brentwood restaurant, Tavern. It is made with a honey syrup infused with fresh ginger and chiles de árbol, so you get those flavors and that heat in the cocktail. I added grapefruit to make it tangy.

Warm up with this concoction of bourbon, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. It’s not a Southern classic, but it certainly drinks like one.

In this cocktail, Riesling (Marrero favors dry Rieslings from the Finger Lakes or Alsace) adds brightness to a mix of fresh apple cider and bourbon. Blending dried figs with honey syrup gives you a sweetener that’s full of earthy, nutty notes, and a small amount of floral liqueur gives the tart, refreshing drink a subtle luscious quality.

Poach turkey in an anise, ginger, and scallion broth, then shred the meat and toss with a savory, lard-enriched sauce for this traditional Taiwanese preparation.

This festive, refreshing cocktail balances bittersweet Campari with tart, unsweetened 100% cranberry juice. The drink’s tartness and bitterness awakens the palate for whatever you’ve got cooking.

Apple butter is a brilliant shortcut to a robustly flavored fall cocktail. Spiced with cinnamon and sometimes ginger, nutmeg, or clove, it brings in every essential autumn note in a teaspoon or two.

The earthy, floral flavor of chamomile soothes the spice of reposado tequila in this easy, cozy spin on the hot toddy.

This luscious combination of hot cider and Averna is our favorite way to spike cider these days. Sweetened with citrusy Grand Marnier and enriched with salted butter, it’s the perfect hot drink to enjoy outdoors.

This golden-hued turmeric hot toddy from Claire Sprouse of Brooklyn’s Hunky Dory is wonderfully savory from the combination of nutty Amontillado sherry and earthy turmeric.

This sherry-Cynar Negroni riff was created by bartender Dan Greenbaum at The Beagle in New York City.

Here is my super bougie restyling of an everyday Ghanaian hot chile condiment. My bet is that once you’ve made it, you’ll be shouting at your West African friends because no one told you about it before. Until now, you thought XO sauce solved everything. Until now, you thought sambal belacan was the only smoked fish dip the world needed. But now, you’ve realized: I Shito, therefore I am. This recipe is luxurious, it is decadent, it is rich and textured for lavish enjoyment. Right here is where hot pepper sauce dreams comes true.